The awareness of the well-being of animals is increasing every year. More and more people financially support pet shelters, limit meat consumption or turn to vegetarianism or veganism completely, choose synthetic materials over fur and leather, and change the picture of having an animal.
The last point is the most significant to us in this article — having an animal.
We’re actually evolving on an increasingly larger scale from buying and owning pets to adopting them and making them a part of our family.
If you’re now faced with a choice of either buying a puppy from a breeder or adopting one from a shelter, we’re happy to present you this article on dog’s adoption and some more specified tips on raising dogs on https://www.petplace.com/.
Why Adopting at All?
Shelters are constantly overfilled. People abandon their pets more often than we’d think, some dogs get lost and never find their owners again, and other times owners give their friends away the moment they feel they lost control over their dog. Regardless of the exact reason, abandoned dogs are deeply lonely and very often also traumatised.
If after months or years of wondering you’ve already decided to get a dog, you’re now probably 100% sure that you could give enough space, attention, and love to this living creature. If so, why not offer all the warmth and safety to a dog that extremely needs it?
Adopting a living creature in need is just the right thing to do. You can’t even imagine how huge the feelings of happiness and gratitude of such an animal will be.
The Challenges of Adoption
To be honest, getting any kind of animal can be challenging. However, dogs are especially complex creatures and require lots of patience and discipline.
Just like people, each dog is different, has its own character, likes and dislikes, and habits. Also, each dog has its very own experiences. In the case of dogs from shelters, the experiences unfortunately are usually rather negative.
Not only traumatic events associated with humans have an impact on a dog’s behaviour but also its personality and how it put up with life in a crowded shelter.
The experiences can be an obstacle in a quick and effective schooling of a dog and in getting used to a new place and family.
How to Get Prepared
Before bringing a dog home, you need to educate yourself properly first. Read books, consult canine behaviourists, and talk to dog owners among your friends. You have to be aware that the experience of having a faithful and obedient friend in a dog will probably appear to be far from what you’ve imagined…
Dogs are no different from young children. They misbehave terribly and can really be unpredictable — it doesn’t matter if it’s a purebred puppy or an adult from a shelter. Dogs stay kids forever and you have to be ready for that.
Raising dogs is like parenting, in this case — you always have to be prepared for the worst! Peeing in bed, destroying your wardrobe, eating forbidden food and inedible objects, unexpected intense noises… Such is life!
All you can do is stay understanding, strongly assertive, and always have a snack to reward good behaviour. Punishments aren’t as effective and memorable as tasty rewards.
The First Approach
Going to a shelter for the first time can be terribly stressful. There’s always a lot of noise and sad eyes begging for a little attention. Imagine being forced to live in such a place permanently. And some dogs live there for years!
When the moment of choosing a dog comes and the staff lets you both greet for the first time, don’t be surprised if the dog’s immediate reaction will be aggression and barking. It’s nothing but a self-defence system and it means that the dog doesn’t know what to expect so it wants to protect itself from the unknown and a potential danger.
Turn your head, don’t look the dog into the eye — in the dog’s language it means showing respect. Let the dog sniff your hand. Don’t try to touch the dog under no circumstances! Let the animal feel safe with you. You’ll be able to take a walk and play if the dog shows interest.
Be gentle and cautious and everything will be fine!
The first steps won’t be easy but honest love and meat snacks will eventually do the trick. You have to get to know each other and gain each other’s trust. To have a faithful and obedient four-legged friend you have to do the hard work, as well. Making friends, even with animals, takes time and cooperation!
Don’t get discouraged if you fail the first time… and dozens of times later, too. Stay positive and patient — you have no idea how much love you’ll get in exchange. Beware — the best memories of your life are ahead the both of you!